Before the publication of this first major monograph on Anselm Kiefer, no one had attempted to analyze in depth the very essence of his art. Daniel Arasse takes as a starting point the 1980 Venice Biennale, a key moment in the artist’s career that marked the birth of both his international reputation and the controversy over the “Germanness” of his work.
Across six main chapters, the author delves into the central themes of Kiefer’s art and their evolution: Nordic and Germanic mythologies; Jewish mysticism; the cosmos; the legends of the ancient world; links between heaven and earth, gods and men; transmutation; and the role of the human body. All of these lie at the heart of his rigorous and deeply interesting thought.
Interspersed with the main discussion are five sub-chapters that shed new light on the fabric of Kiefer’s work by examining his favorite motifs and the ways they have mutated through time and thematic shifts. By examining his influences, style and recurring motifs, Daniel Arasse illuminates Kiefer’s rich culture and his philosophical and artistic practice, while demonstrating a unity and continuity that transcend any linear concept of his development.